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Roller Derby Romance #3
Head Over Wheels
Mindy has it all: her dream job, a place of her own, a great family, and the perfect hobby in roller derby. Meeting Shayna, another Jewish roller derby player, at the tryouts for the city’s all-star team is just icing on the cake. Admittedly, being rejected from the all-star team is a blow. But Mindy refuses to let it slow her down: she puts the best face on everything. Shayna, more cynical, insists that they weren’t good enough and they need to practice more. Mindy can’t handle letting go of Shayna when she’s finally found someone who understands her in every possible way. But how can she stay with someone she feels is dragging her down? And how can she handle the secrets Shayna keeps about her past?
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2017
3 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 11, 2017
An ok read.
This is the second book I have read by Morland and the third in the series (I skipped the first one). Like the other one I read the writing is pretty good as well as the editing. The two main characters, though very likable, seemed to lack the depth I was hoping for. I am not sure the ages but from some the actions, thoughts, and conversations they had, I would guess mid to maybe late twenties. The issues they had seemed to be bigger than they really were and many times I was getting frustrated because conversations at one point kept going in a circle.
If you are fan of the series, I think you will like it. I liked the second book better.
This is the second book I have read by Morland and the third in the series (I skipped the first one). Like the other one I read the writing is pretty good as well as the editing. The two main characters, though very likable, seemed to lack the depth I was hoping for. I am not sure the ages but from some the actions, thoughts, and conversations they had, I would guess mid to maybe late twenties. The issues they had seemed to be bigger than they really were and many times I was getting frustrated because conversations at one point kept going in a circle.
If you are fan of the series, I think you will like it. I liked the second book better.
October 1, 2022
Head over Wheels
I enjoyed this series so far. Diana Moreland had an amazing chemistry. It was low on angst. I enjoyed this series.
I enjoyed this series so far. Diana Moreland had an amazing chemistry. It was low on angst. I enjoyed this series.
January 9, 2019
Huh.
Okay.
I don't get Shayna at all.
It's not a bad book. It follows roughly the same time frame as the first two, but Morland neatly works in plenty of roller derby because Mindy, unlike the POV characters from the first two books, doesn't end up on the all-star team (and thus there's room for details about home-team practices that earlier characters didn't go to), and Mindy and Shayna also take to practicing on their own time. So hurray derby. Some of the quirks of the previous books are still there, such as about 50 times too many instances of characters grinning and a hyper focus on a particular body part (in this case, Shayna's breasts), but I can live with that. Mostly.
But this relationship...I just don't see it lasting. Mindy is a self-employed graphic designer. She's still building her business, and money is tight: she budgets $5 per month for her date fund, for example. I'm not sure how well thought out this budget is, to be honest, since Mindy doesn't seem to worry too much about spending $8 on cupcakes or taking Shayna out to breakfast (both of which are fine, of course, but at odds with an inability to put aside more than $5/month), but the point is basically that Mindy is making it work, and she loves what she does, but she has to be careful.
Shayna...doesn't seem thrilled with this. She doesn't love that Mindy keeps a different schedule, working late and often waking up late. She doesn't love that Mindy pours her soul into graphic design but doesn't necessarily want to bust her butt to be the best roller-derby blocker in town. Shayna put me on the defensive pretty early, actually, on Mindy's behalf. It's great that Shayna wants to improve her skills...but she comes down pretty hard on Mindy for being happy with her own skill level, while also bringing up Mindy's tight budget on the regular. (And not believing that Mindy's parents, who are themselves gay, will be okay with Mindy dating a woman. And getting upset that Mindy's parents give Shayna a gift on a traditionally gift-giving holiday. And constantly bringing up Mindy's previous relationships.)
And: "You need to realize that the world isn't all sunshine and roses," Shayna said. "I don't know how I can be with you if you won't face the real world." (loc. 2661)
But wait wait wait. Y'all.
Meanwhile, Mindy's pretty much falling over herself to make Shayna happy, while Shayna vacillates between 'ermagawd no we can't move in together because you don't earn enough money and I don't think this is gonna work because you're both budget-conscious and hard-working and that's just not realistic' and 'dude, you should give me a key already'. And also 'Oh hi, Mindy's former boss, nice to meet you, but hey Mindy, didn't you say you hated working here?' Which is just plain rude. It's not a relationship that I'm rooting for, and that's never a great feeling in a romance novel.
All that said...I'm looking forward to book 4 (I think I read in one of the earlier books that Tara is trans, which is fab, because that's super underrepresented in romance) and hoping for a book 5 (because I want Leya Out to have her moment to shine).
Okay.
I don't get Shayna at all.
It's not a bad book. It follows roughly the same time frame as the first two, but Morland neatly works in plenty of roller derby because Mindy, unlike the POV characters from the first two books, doesn't end up on the all-star team (and thus there's room for details about home-team practices that earlier characters didn't go to), and Mindy and Shayna also take to practicing on their own time. So hurray derby. Some of the quirks of the previous books are still there, such as about 50 times too many instances of characters grinning and a hyper focus on a particular body part (in this case, Shayna's breasts), but I can live with that. Mostly.
But this relationship...I just don't see it lasting. Mindy is a self-employed graphic designer. She's still building her business, and money is tight: she budgets $5 per month for her date fund, for example. I'm not sure how well thought out this budget is, to be honest, since Mindy doesn't seem to worry too much about spending $8 on cupcakes or taking Shayna out to breakfast (both of which are fine, of course, but at odds with an inability to put aside more than $5/month), but the point is basically that Mindy is making it work, and she loves what she does, but she has to be careful.
Shayna...doesn't seem thrilled with this. She doesn't love that Mindy keeps a different schedule, working late and often waking up late. She doesn't love that Mindy pours her soul into graphic design but doesn't necessarily want to bust her butt to be the best roller-derby blocker in town. Shayna put me on the defensive pretty early, actually, on Mindy's behalf. It's great that Shayna wants to improve her skills...but she comes down pretty hard on Mindy for being happy with her own skill level, while also bringing up Mindy's tight budget on the regular. (And not believing that Mindy's parents, who are themselves gay, will be okay with Mindy dating a woman. And getting upset that Mindy's parents give Shayna a gift on a traditionally gift-giving holiday. And constantly bringing up Mindy's previous relationships.)
And: "You need to realize that the world isn't all sunshine and roses," Shayna said. "I don't know how I can be with you if you won't face the real world." (loc. 2661)
But wait wait wait. Y'all.
Meanwhile, Mindy's pretty much falling over herself to make Shayna happy, while Shayna vacillates between 'ermagawd no we can't move in together because you don't earn enough money and I don't think this is gonna work because you're both budget-conscious and hard-working and that's just not realistic' and 'dude, you should give me a key already'. And also 'Oh hi, Mindy's former boss, nice to meet you, but hey Mindy, didn't you say you hated working here?' Which is just plain rude. It's not a relationship that I'm rooting for, and that's never a great feeling in a romance novel.
All that said...I'm looking forward to book 4 (I think I read in one of the earlier books that Tara is trans, which is fab, because that's super underrepresented in romance) and hoping for a book 5 (because I want Leya Out to have her moment to shine).
May 8, 2020
Not as good as 1st 2
This book was good but it didn't have the same chemistry, tension & intensity that the previous two did—just a lot of angst.
This book was good but it didn't have the same chemistry, tension & intensity that the previous two did—just a lot of angst.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews